At the home of
super-innovator and entrepreneur Elon Musk (PayPal, Tesla Motos, SpaceX), the
Producers Guild held an appropriately unique event honoring a range of
accomplishments throughout the world of digital entertainment.

Named the "Digital
V.I.P.” (V.I.P. = Visionaries, Innovators, and Producers), "the initiative’s goal
is to bring together and honor diverse storytellers from various disciplines. It fosters great conversations, " observes Digital V.I.P. Committee Co-Chair
Marc Scarpa.

Producers Guild VP
of New Media Chris Thomes emphasized that with such diversity thriving in
emerging media, the PGA’s objective is more complex than simply acknowledging
the producers of great content.
"There are also the visionaries and innovators that influence the
storytelling. Whether they be inspiring authors or developers of new social
platforms, these facilitators of digital entertainment are critical to giving
producers next-generation toolsets and new mindsets to craft the stories of
tomorrow,” said Thomes.

With an ambitious
and lofty objective, the Digital VIP delivered on its promise for a fun event
honoring and inspiring digital leaders. Digital V.I.P. Co-Chair Shawn Gold elaborates, "From TV and movie producers, to Internet pioneers, to the creators of the latest theme park
rides, conversations between the various disciplines of storytelling were
abundant. Acrobats, performance
artists, jugglers, marionettes and the top YouTube performers served as great
conversation starters.”

The AP Council hosted its First Annual Oscars Viewing Party at Planet Dailies on Sunday, February 24th. One hundred potential new members mixed and mingled with PGA members from all councils to learn about the guild and the benefits of membership -- all while watching the Oscar telecast on 20 screens!

The viewing party was the culmination of the Council's multi-week new member recruitment initiative. As a result of their efforts approximately sixty new applicants have joined the Guild. The council hopes to make the Oscars viewing party an annual event!

At this year's Produced By Conference the Producers Guild ProShow is teaming up with Maker Studios for their development partner in "online content". PGA member Emily Barclay, who is Senior Director of Special Projects at Maker Studios, took some time to talk about Maker's involvement with the ProShow.

This is the first year the
ProShow is partnering with specific Development Partners to offer a deal to
each category winner - what was your main inspiration for joining up?

Emily Barclay: Maker Studios is excited that the
digital platform is being recognized more and more by traditional media
professionals as a viable distribution model for content, and we want to offer
the opportunity for producers from all backgrounds to engage with us to develop
and create online content that might break the mold of what they are accustomed
to creating.

Are there specific types of
projects you're looking for, or any sort of guidance you can give entrants?
What does "online content" mean to Maker Studios?

EB: We're looking for creative concepts
that would attract large audiences globally through a YouTube channel. Maker
has a very large audience base through our network of channels, so we are
positioned to help a creator find and grow a subscriber base for viewership.
Successful examples of online content are often repeatable format concepts,
generally short form, often non-episodic so that the viewer can consume
non-linearly. Audience engagement through calls-to-action are great ways to
sustain a show. Ideas that span categories of comedy, music, lifestyle, gaming,
and science fiction can generally find large audiences online. However, if the
right "big" idea of a narrative, longer form concept came along that
seemed particularly suited for internet distribution we would definitely be
interested.

When you meet the finalists at
the Produced By Conference, are you looking for them to pitch verbally, or with
materials, or are you indifferent?

EB: Materials are helpful. It is good to
know that a producer not only has a vision but the ability to execute a concept
beyond just an idea.

Are you bullish on developing
new stories?

EB: We definitely are interested in new
stories -- stories and CHARACTERS. The most successful shows online are
personality driven.

Any final words for potential contestants?

Familiarize yourself with what is
happening online. A new generation of viewers have emerged whose primary
consumption of content is through the Internet. They want to be entertained.
What is your voice? Imagine what you could do in this space originally and
creatively, to find your own audience by giving them something fresh and
unique.

The PGA Producers Showcase is teaming up with Ryan Seacrest Productions to provide the winning producer(s) a development deal in Reality Television. Heather Schuster, the Senior VP, Development and Current, Unscripted Programming for Ryan Seacrest Productions answered some questions about the new relationship.

This is the first year
the ProShow is partnering with specific Development Partners to offer a deal to
each category winner - what was your main inspiration for joining up?

Heather Schuster: There are so many producers with strong ideas out there, and they may not always have access to the right people or company. This is a terrific opportunity for rsp to find new content that otherwise might not make its way to us. It's also a way to meet and work with talented producers.

Are there specific types
of projects you're looking for, or any sort of guidance you can give
entrants? How does Ryan see his company expanding in the future?

HS: The exciting thing about RSP is that we are an independent company, so we can develop and sell to any buyer. That enables us to pursue all kinds of projects from large network formats, like game and arced competition, to water cooler docu-series. We are really open to a wide range of ideas, particularly those that touch on facets of pop culture and have a wide appeal. New approaches are crucial, as well. I look forward to finding the next fascinating subculture we can immerse ourselves in through follow doc, as well as the next innovative network format that leaves everyone saying "why didn't i think of that?"

When you meet the
finalists at the Produced By Conference, are you looking for them to pitch
verbally, or with materials, or do you have no preference?

HS: I think the best pitches are those that are organic to the project and play to its strengths. it's nice to be surprised in a pitch, as well. a great verbal pitch is an art―it is storytelling. I always suggest losing the notes and trying not to read the deck in the room. Strong materials are also key. You never want weak leave-behinds to undermine the strength of an idea.

Are you bullish on
developing new stories?

HS: Absolutely. That is our business! We constantly have to find new stories and new ways of telling them. Hopefully, this will be just the beginning of some fruitful new relationships to develop new hit shows.

The new PGA Studio Lot Initiative had it's 2nd lunch on Monday, March 11th - this time on the Sunset Bronson Studio Lot. The lunch was hosted by Vance Van Petten at the PGA and PGA member Beth Talbert put it all together. Thirteen of the 23 known PGA members on the lot attended and it was a great time!

If you would like the PGA to host a PGA members-only lunch on your lot, contact Karen Covell at karen@karencovell.com or Jethro Rothe-Kushel at jrothe-kushel@scenario-la.com and they will help you set it up. It's a wonderful time to have PGA members meet one another and talk about ways to invite others on that lot to join the PGA!

If you would like to find out about other PGA members on your lot, just click here to fill out the short survey: http://tinyurl.com/9eyqnok.